Elbow Pain After Workout? Strategies to Minimize and Recover from Post-Workout Pain

Elbow pain after workout (Image by stockking on Freepik)
Elbow pain after workout (Image by stockking on Freepik)

Have you ever felt elbow pain after workout? This might not be due to muscle soreness, and there might be some underlying reason to it. Thus, let us dvelve into the science behind elbow pains.

Elbow pain is a common and quite frustrating issue for any lifter. Elbow pain is generally associated with tennis and golf, but it has also significance in lifting. The pain could be due to tendonitis, which, in layman's terms, can be understood as tennis elbow and golfer's elbow. This condition can simply be an obstruction to your workout and may cause some serious and noteworthy injuries.

If you are an professional athlete or you simply like to work out at home, understanding about elbow pain after workout is crucial in order to prevent and recover from it easily and to live a healthy and fit life.


Why Do You Feel Elbow Pain After Workout?

If elbow pain is persistent then it is advisable to get medical attention (Image by stockking on Freepik)
If elbow pain is persistent then it is advisable to get medical attention (Image by stockking on Freepik)

The main reason behind elbow pain after workout is due to the overuse of the tendons or, as mentioned earlier, due to tenodnitis. Providing extra load to your tendons beyond what they are capable of can cause these elbow pains.

Elbow pains could be increased due to inadequate rest and recovery or due to some changes in your regular workout routines.

Keeping these injuries in mind one should be careful about their workout routines and make sure not to push themselves to certain extents, which might cause injury to you. It is necessary to bring these changes gradually than rushing into harder sets. Overusing tendons for lifting will only make you more sore.


Is It Right to Continue Lifting with Elbow Pain?

Eccentric Strengthening can help you with relief in elbow pain (Image by stockking on Freepik)
Eccentric Strengthening can help you with relief in elbow pain (Image by stockking on Freepik)

It is a very common belief among various athletes that pushing through the pain can do wonders and help them reach their ideal fitness goals. However, this is not the case as it is only going to worsen your situation. If appropriate measures are taken, then this issue could easily be tackled.

It is essential to understand the nature of the pain, as during tendonitis, most of the pain is concentrated in the bony region of the elbow, which further increases with gripping objects. Applying ice to this, can help you reduce the inflammation and get relief from the pain. If the pain persists it is better to seek medical attention.

One other solution against tendonitis can be eccentric strengthening. This involves controlled lowering of weights over an interval of a small time period during wrist curls. Practicing these for 20 reps daily can help you relieve tendonitis.


How to Prevent Elbow Pain After Workout?

Rest is the key to recovery (Image by Freepik)
Rest is the key to recovery (Image by Freepik)

The best way to prevent elbow pain is to prepare your tendons for the demands of weightlifting. Gradually improve your grip strength by adding exercises like pinching and gripping kettlebells or plates into your strength training routine.

Eccentric strengthening exercises for wrist and forearm muscles should be an integral part of your routine, not just for treatment but also for prevention. Moreover, heavy, slow resistance strengthening can train your elbow tendons to withstand greater loads.


Strategies to Recover from Post-workout Pain

Taking gradual steps to your lifting routine can help you lift better and prevent elbow pains (Image by Freepik)
Taking gradual steps to your lifting routine can help you lift better and prevent elbow pains (Image by Freepik)

Here are the strategies to recover and minimize elbow pain after workout:

  1. Perform wrist curls and reverse curls with a weight that provides an exertion rate of about 8 out of 10, moving slowly both up and down.
  2. Make sure you work on your shoulder muscles and your back as weak muscles can lead to overuse of forearm and hand muscles.
  3. To avoid elbow pain after a workout, one can also break down their heavy lifting routine.
  4. If pain persists, one can take painkillers and take a few days' rest.

In conclusion, elbow pain after workout is a very common issue, and this could easily be tackled with proper strategies. Proper recovery, rest, gradual increase in volume training, and incorporating strengthening exercises can help you achieve your fitness goals.

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